AMG Review of Hot Dawg

Ken Dryden
All Music Guide

It is no wonder that mandolinist David Grisman came up with the name "Dawg Music" to describe his style of playing, which draws from bluegrass, jazz, and many other forms of music. This 1978 recording has long been a favorite of Grisman's fans, as all of the compositions and performances have stood the test of time. Grisman's lively "Dawg's Bull" and guitarist Tony Rice's upbeat "Devlin'" set a high standard at the opening of the album, yet the remaining tracks continue to meet the high watermark of the first two songs. In addition to Rice's presence throughout the recording, Grisman utilizes five different bassists (only one song, "Dawgology," features two of them together), violinist Darol Anger, mandolinist Mike Marshall, and on two selections, the jazz violin master Stéphane Grappelli. It seems almost criminal that this valuable recording has been allowed to lapse from print, but it is a safe bet that Grisman will reissue it on his own Acoustic Disc label if he can ever obtain the rights to it on reasonable terms.